Best way to teach hitting on the rise to a 7 year old??

Hi everyone! My 7 year old son played a practice set with an almost nine year old who kept hitting ( or I should say blasting ) balls to his feet. Usually he is capable of hitting nice rallies but in this case he wasn't able to do anything at all! The balls were low and literally at his feet. The parent of that boy commented to me that you need to learn to hit on the rise for those balls.

I would greatly appreciate any tips that you might have to teach him this skill as well as any thoughts on how long it takes to master the skill at this age . Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone! My 7 year old son played a practice set with an almost nine year old who kept hitting ( or I should say blasting ) balls to his feet. Usually he is capable of hitting nice rallies but in this case he wasn't able to do anything at all! The balls were low and literally at his feet. The parent of that boy commented to me that you need to learn to hit on the rise for those balls.

I would greatly appreciate any tips that you might have to teach him this skill as well as any thoughts on how long it takes to master the skill at this age . Thanks in advance!

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As levels advance, players need to play deeper. Just back up a foot or two behind the baseline and keep the ball out in front. This will make him handle the ball more easily and allow him time to improve on this skill.

A great drill for you to volley and have him hit groundstrokes and work on his positioning as well as his feel to hit on the rise. I prefer half court down the line with alleys being in play to shrink the coverage area.

As levels advance, players need to play deeper. Just back up a foot or two behind the baseline and keep the ball out in front. This will make him handle the ball more easily and allow him time to improve on this skill.

A great drill for you to volley and have him hit groundstrokes and work on his positioning as well as his feel to hit on the rise. I prefer half court down the line with alleys being in play to shrink the coverage area.

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Hi Mitch,

Thanks for always posting. Your technical advice is great.

Just curious, in your opinion, where should the older boys, 16's -18's, be in regards to the baseline.

I have been watching a couple of PD kids, and they seem to be many feet behind the baseline.
I am assuming that is the direction from the Spanish coach.

Just curious, in your opinion, where should the older boys, 16's -18's, be in regards to the baseline.

I have been watching a couple of PD kids, and they seem to be many feet behind the baseline.
I am assuming that is the direction from the Spanish coach.

Wondering what you think?

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I think it is all related to the speed of the court. If the court is quick you would want to stay tighter on the baseline to take advantage of short balls- put them away or approach. It is more about controlling the rally and quick strike tennis. Also, on a fast court the bounce is more predictable so you can take balls on the rise.

On a slow court, you need to be very consistent, so backing up and letting balls drop will aide this. If it is clay court tennis, the bounce is less consistent so on the rise is more difficult.

Players that play deep need to be very quick and excellent at defensive tennis.

I prefer tight on the baseline and to develop attacking skills, but if an opponent hits pace to the corners, you will have to back up to position yourself behind the ball. Great men's tennis today seems to be aggressive holds and counter-punching return games.